queen elizabeth
Dairy queen: The subsidy on Queen Elizabeth's dairy and cereal farm has increased by almost £40,000 since 2009
The Queen was paid more than £224,000 in EU subsidies for her Windsor farm estate last year, according to figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday.

Details of the payments, released under the Freedom of Information Act, raise questions about the country's richest landowners benefiting from grants under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The subsidy for the 500-acre dairy and cereal farm, which was founded by Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert, has increased by almost £40,000 since 2009.

Similar amounts are thought to have been paid to the Monarch to support her estates in Sandringham and Balmoral, but the Government refused to release this information.

Meanwhile, Environment and Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon's family estates received £211,000 in EU farming grants.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has enforced an information blackout on all other farming subsidies paid to wealthy landowners, claiming an EU ruling last year prevents disclosure of the information.

Richard Benyon
Healthy crop: Environment and Fisheries Minister Richard Benyon's family estates received £211,000 in grants
Graham Smith, of anti-monarchist group Republic, said: 'This shows the Royal Family's willingness to help themselves to taxpayers' money at a time when we are cutting our expenditure.

'This does beg the question of why they get this subsidy - after all, they are at liberty to give it back.'

A Palace spokesman said the rise was due to an increase in EU subsidy rates.

A Defra spokesman said: 'Richard Benyon does not receive any single farm payments. He ceased to be a partner in the family farming business, Englefield Home Farms, prior to becoming a Minister.

On his appointment, the Minister made the Permanent Secretary aware of all his interests and the Permanent Secretary is happy there is no conflict of interest.'